On Friday 21st June 2013, I made my second visit to the Michael Van Clarke salon in Marylebone. My first visit was for a tour and seminar with Michael Van Clarke himself, regarding the 3''' More Inches Range. This time, as a thank you for attending, I was invited to return to the salon for a complimentary cut which I was absolutely thrilled to accept.

Upon entering the salon I was greeted by some very friendly reception staff who took my coat in exchange for a navy robe. I was asked to take a seat to wait for my stylist to come through. Whilst seated, I took the time to really take in my surroundings, the salon is truly stunning. I was having my hair cut by Gustav, a stylist I met on my first visit to the salon. I had to wait no longer than 5 minutes before Gustav's friendly face appeared and lead me to a seat within the salon which would be our work station during my visit.

Gustav sat me down for a short consultation before we went ahead with the cut. I admittedly haven't had my hair cut (apart from my fringe cut in) for over a year! The first thing I mentioned was that I am trying to grow my hair and would therefore appreciate if he could take as little as possible from the ends. Gustav lifted my hair and studied the ends, he then explained that he would only need to take the dead ends off, which was about a centimetre! I could not believe it! I genuinely believed I would need inches off! We then discussed that although my hair was very fine there was lots of it, which would suggest why I do not have much lift at the root and therefore not a lot of volume. Gustav told me he would cut in some layers towards the bottom of the hair to give me a little more lift.

After around 5-10 minutes discussion, Gustav sent me to get my hair washed. I was sat down in to a brown leather armchair and asked whether I wanted the massage feature switched on, obviously I said yes! On top of the amazing head massage I received, the massage chair topped it all off making the hair washing experience out of this world! I felt so relaxed upon walking back to the cutting station! 

As mentioned in a previous post, the Diamond Dry Cut is a technique used by all stylists in the Van Clarke Salon. The technique focuses on the natural movement of the hair and shape of the clients face. My hair was dried and then Gustav began what he does best!!

As you can see from the photo above, the hair around my crown has been parted into a diamond shape, hence the name Diamond Dry Cut. Gustav took the dead ends from my hair all the way round, I was watching him in the mirror, he made it look naturally effortless and the results were amazing, my hair has not looked so healthy in a long time! It is thick from the root all the way down, no straggly bits at the ends... just amazingly healthy thick, bouncy hair!!

During the finishing stages of the cut, Gustav used a variety of products from the 3''' More Inches range on my hair, one of them being the Thickening Blow-Dry Spray which contains unique thickening agents, which make the hair look and feel a lot fuller upon application. This product is perfect for hair like mine that doesn't naturally have a lot of volume. The Thickening Blow-Dry Spray currently retails at £17.50 (100ml).

I was so suprised at how the length of my hair still looked the same, even though it had been cut. Gustav had taken more from the front of the hair which meant I could bring forward hair from the back to make up for the length lost from the layers at the front.
Glamour Magazine's quote sums the experience up perfectly;

Gustav suggested for maximum growth I should get a trim every 8-10 weeks and use the 3''' More Inches range religiously (which I currently am!) I am so happy with my hair (excuse the cheesy grin!!!)

My whole experience at the Michael Van Clarke salon was absolutely wonderful, my surroundings were stunning, the staff were welcoming and on top of that my stylist was just absolutely fabulous.
I would highly recommend that everyone visits the salon, even if for a beauty treatment rather than a new haircut/style. The whole place just oozes glamour and sassiness, it is no wonder they have won so many awards and hopefully many more to come.

This evening, I was privileged enough to be invited to the Michael Van Clarke salon. Tucked away on a quiet street in London's Marylebone. The salon is a stones throw away from the ever busy Oxford Street, yet feels a million miles away. Even more so upon entering the salon into a minimalistically, immediately relaxing environment, that screams elegance and professionalism.

The salon itself is coming up to its 25th anniversary. Having started out in the same location but a mere eighth of the size it has expanded to now, the salon has come a huge way and is now one of London's most prestigious hair salons.

After a friendly welcome by staff at MVC and a glass of champagne, Gustav, a fabulous stylist from the salon took us on a guided tour. The salon has recently extended into the basement, providing extra space to offer beauty treatments to their ever growing cliental.

The overall feel of the salon radiated a perfect combination of elegance and edge. Creating a perfectly modern salon environment.

On top of a fabulous range of products and a wonderfully successful salon, Michael has also pioneered a new method for cutting hair, the 'Diamond Dry Cut'. Cutting the hair when clean and dry allows you to work with the natural movement of the hair and interpret the texture around the shape of the face, making every cut unique to the individual. This would be a massive clue as to why Michael has over a hundred clients that have been returning to his salon for 25 years and over a thousand within the last 10 years.

I have been invited back to the salon for a cut and blow-dry with one of the MVC stylists. I cannot wait to experience the Diamond Dry Cut for myself. I will be sure to review my experience for you all.

Upon leaving the salon I was handed a bag which contained the 3''' More Inches Range which I absolutely cannot wait to review. I am sitting at my laptop as I write this, tucked up in bed with my hair smothered in 3''' More Inches Pre-Wash treatment, tied up in a knot. Perfect way to end a lovely evening.

Keep an eye out for my review on the 3'''More Inches Range and my visit to the salon to receive my Diamond Dry Cut. Until then take a look at the Michael Van Clarke Site for all the great range of products and for a price list of the fantastic treatments on offer.

So my quest for ultimate relaxation within the home continues. This week I have been surrounded by the stunning aroma of Jonathan Ward London's,Velvet Rose Moss, fragranced diffuser, which has been an absolute delight.

This particular scent is Velvet Moss Rose, a sensual scent, perfect for relaxation. The aroma consists of Vetiver, Patchouli, Rose and Egyptian Musk which inspires calm. This perfect mix creates an aroma which seems to cleanse the air and relax the mind.

 

I chose to place the diffuser in my bathroom. Not only does it look beautiful in the little alcove in front of my window but the scent seems to make its way out of one room and into another, making the whole place smell stunning.

This 250ml jar should give 60 days of scent diffusion and has a custom made glass stopper to seal in the scent when not being used.

 

This gorgeous product really does inspire calm. Jonathan Ward London have a great range of fragranced diffusers and candles, in a variety of scents to suit different lifestyles and needs.

 

The Velvet Moss Rose diffuser retails at £35 for a 250ml jar and can be bought online at Jonathan Ward London (click on link below)